Category Archives: scholarships

admissions, college costs, college planning, extracurricular activities, scholarships, test prep, Uncategorized

More valuable tips and advice

For my loyal readers, I thought I would post the links to some posts I have done on other websites and blogs. All offer valuable information for parents of college bound teens.

Preparing Your Student for the Future
If your child is just starting high school, you’re probably not thinking about college yet…but should you be?

It’s Test Time!
The SATs and ACTs… Are these standardized tests striking fear and dread in your home? Suzanne Shaffer of Parents Countdown to College says the key to success is practice and she shows you where to find FREE help!

Searching for Scholarships

The best advice I can give any parent of a college-bound teen is to start the scholarship process EARLY. Don’t wait until senior year and scramble around trying to find scholarships. Here are 10 tips on searching for scholarships.

Visit these sites and gather some valuable information. Sign up and join GalTime for even more valuable parenting advice. Encourage your teen to enter Diploframe’s scholarship.

admissions, college costs, college guidance, college planning, extracurricular activities, parenting, scholarships, Uncategorized

Following the Yellow Brick Road

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yellowbrickroadI spent some time today surfing. Not at the beach (I never learned to surf after living on the Gulf for over 30 years). I was surfing around doing some “follow the yellow brick road” path. I like to call it that because one link, leads to another, leads to another and you find an Emerald City at the end! That’s the great thing about following links: you never know where they will take you and what adventures you will have along the way.
These are the jewels I found today. I couldn’t help but pass them along to all my parent readers (and fans!):

http://www.knowhow2go.org/
This is an amazing website for college planning. It’s interactive and tons of fun. It’s not your typical boring college information site. It’s a fun place to start the search for middle schoolers with schedules and tips all the way through high school. Whaz up dudes and dudettes…check this one out! (I know I’m not hip but I try)

http://www.youniversitytv.com
Wow. This is NOT your avearage college tour site. This one has moxy and some genuine off the wall creativity. There are video tours that ROCK, a message board, cool 3D maps, games, career videos and ways to connect with other college students. Check this one out and get in the “mood for college”!
http://www.savingforcollege.com/
I had to plop one in just for the parents. This is the BEST, I said BEST, site for everything you want to know about financing that college education but were afraid to ask. Remember guys: DENIAL is NOT a river in Egypt. Knowledge is power. The more you know the more prepared you will be. So take a deep breath and jump in!
http://www.theclic.net/
As my daughter would say…”cool beans”. This is a site where you can find and be found by colleges, scholarships and other college programs. A GREAT networking site and a place to connect and set up an online presence.

http://globalquad.com/
This site is Twitterific! Yes, I did say that. Keep up with college life on Twitter: students, colleges, faculty, clubs, and more. Stay on top of the latest college and student news via all the great Twitter links. And, there’s an option to “follow all” if you are so possessed. Whew…I’ll just follow…EVERYONE!

Frame My Future Scholarship Contest - Click here to go to framemyfuture.com and find out about $6,000 in scholarship awards!

No “yellow brick road” search would be complete without unearthing a scholarship. And this one is a great one. Here is how you enter to win…Submit a creation that shares with us what you want to achieve in your personal and professional life after college. Your entry can be a photograph, collage, poem, drawing, painting, graphic design piece, short typed explanation, or anything YOU can create in an image! Your entry should communicate: This is how I “Frame My Future.”

That ends my search for today. I think I can safely say I found the “Emerald City” because every one of those links can take your teen closer to their dream of a college education.

But right now, I’m OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD!

college costs, extracurricular activities, scholarships, Uncategorized

"Why I Deserve a Scholarship" Contest

dell-scholarship

Create

Submit a 1-3 minute video describing/showing/depicting “Why you deserve a scholarship”. Video must be in a compressed Quicktime, Flash or Windows Media format. Be sure to include a title and description for your video.

Upload

Post finished video at WhyIDeserveAScholarship.com. Videos must be original and created by you. Your entry means that your work is not the work of others.

Vote

Voting begins September 8, 2009 and ends September 15, 2009. Members may vote only once each day on the following criteria:

1/3 Need, 1/3 Creativity, 1/3 Originality

And that’s not all, ONE lucky voter will receive a $1000 Scholarship just for voting!

college costs, scholarships

Scholarship Alert: Essay Contest for 2010 Seniors

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fire-logo1

FIRE’s Freedom in Academia Essay Contest

2009 Awards
One first place winner will be awarded a $5,000 college scholarship.
Two second place winners will each receive a $2,500 college scholarship.
Five runners-up will each receive a $1000 college scholarship.

Deadlines
The final day to submit an entry is November 6, 2009. The winners will be announced on December 11, 2009.

FIRE’s Mission
FIRE’s mission is to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience?the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE’s core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them.

Click here for all the scholarship details!

college costs, scholarships

$10,000 Parent Answer Sweepstakes!

Start your Scholarship Search now and you could win $10,000!*

Sallie Mae’s free Scholarship Search database has over 3 million scholarships worth over $16 billion. Register and set up a profile for your child today to get a personalized list of scholarship opportunities that match your child’s unique background. Start now.

And just by registering, you will automatically be entered in our annual $10,000 Parent Answer Sweepstakes!*

Start using Sallie Mae’s free Scholarship Search and you could find free money to pay for your child’s education today.

What have you got to lose? Register and you’re automatically entered. Plus, you’ll get some scholarship matches in the process. A win-win!

college costs, scholarships

What Can You Do? Scholarship Video Contest

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filmakingIs your college-bound teen a budding videographer or filmaker? The Campaign for Disability Employment is sponsoring a video contest for a $1500 Scholarship. The contest asks applicants to make a video on best practices within the workplace that allow every employee the opportunity to contribute, specifically fellow co-workers with a disability.

This is a perfect opportunity for your creative teen to use that creativity and win a scholarship. Since there’s no age limit, anyone can create a video and upload it for submission.

The deadline is July 15, 2009, so don’t procrastinate and encourage your teen to get their creative juices flowing!

Click here for rules and entry information.

college costs, extracurricular activities, scholarships

Scholarship Q & A

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Question: Is it worth my time to apply for scholarships?

It is if you want FREE money. Because that’s what scholarships are: FREE money. The key is to apply for those scholarships that “fit” you. Each scholarship is looking for students with specific qualities. If you meet those, you’ll have a much better chance of winning the scholarship.

Question: I’m not the best student. Is there a scholarship out there for me?

Absolutely. Many scholarships aren’t based on grades, but on specific criteria. Many are essay contests. Many are based on heritage or affiliation. Many are based on specific talents or abilities. So even though you’re not a “straight A” student, there are scholarships out there that would be a perfect fit for you.

Question: Do I  have to have a long list of extracurricular activities to win a scholarship?

The great thing about scholarships is that you can distinguish yourself by being focused on a particular activity. It’s not how many you have, but what you have spent your time on during your teen years. If you communicate your strengths (such as working all throughout high school), you won’t need a long list of activities.

Question: Are all scholarships the same?

Absolutely not. Scholarships are as varied as people. There are scholarships for academics, writing, inventing, music, lineage, creativity, geographic residence, and the list goes on and on. As I said previously, finding the ones that “fit” is the key to success.

Question: What is the easiest way to find out about scholarships?

Go online to scholarship sites (you can find some on my TOOLS page) and register. Ask your counselor. Visit your local library reference desk.

Sign up for me FREE Ebook for many other suggestions!

college costs, scholarships

Scholarship Alert!

FastwebNo time to waste! Here’s a scholarship opportunity for 17-18 year olds. $500 will pay for any number of college expenses.

What: This contest asks you to answer one simple question in 250-350 words: “What’s the best way a student can manage their money in current economic times?” Judged by FastWeb’s own Financial Aid Guru, Mark Kantrowitz.

How Much: Two winners, $500 each.

Dates: Contest begins May 25, 2009 and ends June 22—no entries will be accepted after Monday June 22, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. central time.

Winners Announced: June 29 on FastWeb. Winning essays will be featured on the site!

Who’s eligible: If you’re 17 or 18 years old, have a 2.0 GPA and up, and are enrolled full time in a high school or an accredited college/university, you’re eligible. In fact, just to make it fair, we’ll select one winner from the 2.0-2.99 GPA range and the other from the 3.0 – 4.0 range. Regardless of your GPA, there’s no reason NOT to enter!

Who’s footing the bill: This contest is sponsored by FastWeb and Bank of America. How to Enter: Email your essay on the topic: “What’s the best way a student can manage their money in current economic times?” to EssayContest@FastWeb.com.

college costs, scholarships

Summertime is Scholarship Search Time

scholarship3For many of you, it’s just been a few days since the school shut its doors for the summer and your teens are already showing signs of boredom. Never fear! The cure for boredom is to put them to work. Every parent knows that idle hands are the devil’s playground (great line from The Music Man). But seriously, here’s a great way to keep them occupied and productive: have them search for scholarships. There are oodles of summer scholarship opportunities. Some themed around summer, and some with summer deadlines.

FastWeb has compiled a short list of  a few that might catch your teen’s eye. And remember, not ALL scholarships are for seniors. Many of them are not age specific and if your teen starts early, by the time they are ready for college they could accumulate a nice fat college fund.

Additionally, it’s a good time to circumvent the scholarship sites and get an idea of who won this year’s prize and take a look at their submissions. It is a great way to prepare for the next year and have a head start on the competition.

There’s really NO excuse for the word “bored” to come out of your teen’s mouth!

P.S. Scroll down and take a look at the scholarship opportunities I have posted here. There are two of them that could land you teen a nice chunk of change.

college planning, parenting, scholarships

Will your teen be ready for college?

If you are the parent of an 8th grader, or younger, that is probably the last thing on your mind. High school looms ahead and so do the “terrible teens” and you’re just hoping to survive unscathed.

For one parent of an 8th grader, however, that question is much more prominent in the front of his mind. Michael Sparks’ daughter, Aubrey, will be skipping high school and headed off to college in the fall. She’s been bored in middle school and taken the SAT and managed to score high enough for college admission.

When I read the news story I wondered how could a 14 year old be ready for college life? My 18 year old was barely ready. As parents we try and prepare our kids for all the foreseeable scenarios that might happen once they are on their own and free from parental control and guidance. But there are always those moments when they are faced with choices and have to draw on the lessons they have learned and the values they’ve been taught.

Will your teen be ready for college? It doesn’t happen over night. It takes more than planning and preparation for the admissions process. Begin early training them on how to respond to peer pressure, making the right choices, establishing good study habits, and handling the financial aspect of being independent.

If your teen is headed for college in the fall, take a look at this post on Radical Parenting. It gives you some topics to discuss with them before they leave the nest and head off to that muchly anticipated college experience.